- NEW Reentry Staff
Fight boredom with these cheap and free ideas
“The opposite of happiness isn’t sadness, it's boredom,” Tim Ferris said in his book The 4-Hour Workweek. How true is that? When you consider your life unhappy, the solution is often doing something different. Sometimes that’s going out with friends, or taking a vacation, or taking on a new, exciting job.
Although boredom is a normal part of life, too much can be detrimental to mental health. This July, celebrate National Anti-Boredom Month by trying new activities.
Start by downloading a random wheel or creating a jar of things to do that you can draw from when you need a little excitement in your life.
Not sure what activities to include? Here are a few ideas to do when you’re stuck inside:
Write a short story, poem, or novel.
Go down the rabbit hole on a topic in which you’ve always been interested.
Try origami.
Make time for a movie marathon of your favorite genre or series.
Build a fort because you’re never too old to have fun.
Write a letter to someone you care about.
DJ your own family dance party.
Do something artsy – like book folding, painting, tie-die, or jewelry.
Try a new podcast – use this random generator to find a new podcast to listen to.
Go outside of your comfort zone to try something new like watching a movie in a genre you don’t normally watch or downloading an audiobook.
Try an adult color book or app.
Change up your home décor.
Try a new recipe. – budgetbytes.com
Make a wish list.
Make a bucket list and plan your first item to cross off.
Write to a deployed soldier.
Turn off all your technology and let boredom inspire you to do whatever comes to mind.
Treat yourself with an at-home spa.
Try a new exercise routine from home.
Do one task you’ve been putting off for months.
Order take-out for an item you’ve never had before.
Learn about a new hobby you’re interested in.
Make homemade soft pretzels. - link recipe
Learn a new language.
Organize something.
Try growing an indoor herb garden.
To do around your community:
Sign up for a volunteer opportunity.
Go to the library and pick up a book you wouldn’t normally read.
Go walking in a part of town you haven’t been to before.
Go sightseeing in your hometown.
Go stargazing.
Watch the sunrise.
Go to a new park or hiking trail.
Take your pet to a pet-friendly store.
Check out a small business in your area you’ve never been to before.
Go to your favorite restaurant and order something you’ve never tried before.
Try a new kind of cuisine.
Make chalk art on your driveway or sidewalk.
Find a new outfit at the thrift store.
Attend a town meeting.
Take a surprise treat to someone in your community.
Take part in a free class or group that you’ve never considered before.
Take a long drive going nowhere.
Pick your own bouquet of wildflowers from a park or field.
Take a different way to work, school or home.
Do something silly.
Dance in the rain.
Do something you’ve always wanted to try but kept putting off.